For me, though, I needed to get a better background in understanding things like exposure and exposure control issues, depth of field, hyperfocal distance, filters, lighting issues, and so on. Also the many tips and tricks Shaw discusses throughout the book are good.

My one strength is I know how to compose a good photo. I just needed to learn more about good camera technique to enhance my photos and this book was useful to bootstrap me to the next level.

The book has lots of nice photos. They're all shot with Fuji Velvia so the colors are extra saturated. I don't mind this but I suppose people develop a taste for these things. My one quip is that Shaw doesn't mention exposure settings in the captions for the photos.

All in all a good book for a beginner to get a leg up on some of the technical issues and improve his skills and photographic technique.


An excellent introduction to nature photography   January 7, 2001
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This book provides a clear step-by-step plan for getting started in nature photography. It discusses what equipment to buy, the importance of using a tripod (with images that prove the point to those who may be skeptical), film to use, viewing and storing slides and other topics such as how to film various subjects in the natural world. This book and Galen Rowell's Mountain Light are IMHO two phenomenal books to read if you have an interest in photographing nature.


Fairly detailed   December 6, 2000
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Very inspirational book, not really helpful if you are dipping into landscape for the first time, instead it pulls you in once you get some idea of landscape photography. Beautiful photos, certain amount of technical and yet great as a coffee table book. IMHO less diverse than John's other book; Professional Field Techniques (PFT) but I prefer it this way. In fact this was the single book that drawn 2 of my friends into serious photography just by browsing.....

Much of the techniques are duplicated in the PFT book (I have yet to see the latest edition though) but based on the older one I would say to give this PFT book a miss, the printing is not as glossy (I'm one of those who prefer photography book in gloss) and not much more info is actually conveyed. Of course if you want to collect a few books only, skip Landscape and get PFT instead.


For beginners, but then ...   December 3, 2000
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

The book reasonably covers most of the ground relevant to landscape photography, is acceptably written, well presented and nicely illustrated. On the other hand, it can be tediously long and insubstantial before getting down to what you primarily came to it for, i.e. a clear, thorough, step-by-step discussion of the relevant techniques. Unlike this, the actual treatment is usually loose and shallow, often incomplete even for a basic-level text (e.g. fancy discussing exposure of high-contrast scenes on slide film without a single word about bracketing?), while the total absence of summaries, check lists, and other pedagogic aids greatly detracts from its possible learning and reference value. Plenty of nice pictures, yes, some great (that is, if you like Fuji Velvia's garish colours, which plague the book), and no doubt one can pick some ideas from them. But in a would-be photography manual what you expect from the pictures is, rather than beauty, an effective illustration of the approach and technique alternatives, which is limited in the book, and be provided with full details of at least the more significant shots, whereas here all you are given is lens and film, not even the exposure settings.

All the same, useful book if you do not know about basic exposure, what hyperfocal focusing is, what a polarizing filter does, when to use a tripod, the basic characteristics of various focal lengths, the basic effects of different lighting, basic ..., etc. But then what you actually need is a general photography handbook (see Michael Langford's, for instance), which will do better to your vision and technique overall, including for landscape, through a more structured, systematic and complete coverage of these and other topics.

Conclusion: more an inspiring picture book (three stars for this) than an effective learning tool.